Can a Mobile Botnet turn your cell into a “Zombie” phone?

A Mobile botnet is described as a type of botnet that targets mobile devices, attempting to gain complete control of the device and its contents as well as providing control to the botnet originator. Based on research done by several top computer software security companies, mobile phone botnets are on the rise.

New NIST Guidelines for Securing Mobile Devices

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, mobile devices must support multiple security objectives, including availability, integrity and confidentiality. This means they must be secured against different threats, which is why NIST recently published draft guidelines outlining baseline security technologies that the mobile devices must include to remain safe.

Businesses and governments are increasingly relying on different mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets. The devices become more popular with their increasing capabilities, making it even more important for them to remain cyber-secure.

BYOD Smartphone and Tablet Security Guidelines

BYOD smartphone and tablet security policy guidelines as told by NIST

“Many mobile devices, particularly those that are personally owned (bring your own device [BYOD]), are not necessarily trustworthy. Current mobile devices lack the root of trust features (e.g., TPMs) that are increasingly built into laptops and other types of hosts.